If consumers don’t feel good about the economy, they don’t spend. And if they don’t spend, companies that sell stuff get very nervous. We should get a good read Friday on how consumers are feeling with the release of the closely watched University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey.

Consumer confidence has fallen off the table over the past year, hitting levels not seen in nearly 30 years. A rebound in that sentiment will be crucial to any kind of economic recovery.

Also, Friday, I’m going to post on some of the responses we’ve received from our Public Insight Network on the federal stimulus package. There’s a lot of hope and skepticism. But I’m also interested in how citizens expect to benefit directly from the stimulus. The enhanced college credit, credits for window replacement, high speed rail from St. Paul to Chicago?

If you’re trying to get a chunk of the stimulus money or see something in your town funded with stimulus money, drop us a line or leave a post below — especially if you’re in Minnesota. Cheers.

I'm a news junkie with particular interests in the economy and education. I covered those topics for 20 years as a reporter in Connecticut, Washington, DC, South Carolina and Minnesota. I'm at Minnesota Public Radio News now, hoping to find new w